Vietexplorer2024

Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), stands accused of sexual assault and attempting to coerce Jennifer Hermoso, a prominent Spanish footballer, into declaring that a kiss between them was consensual. The incident, which occurred during the 2023 Women’s World Cup celebrations, sparked outrage and brought to light issues of sexism and inequality in Spanish football. The controversy surrounding Rubiales’ actions overshadowed the Spanish women’s team’s triumph in Australia and galvanized a “Me Too” movement within the sport. Rubiales, along with other RFEF officials, including former women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda, is alleged to have pressured Hermoso to downplay the incident. The prosecution seeks a 2-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Rubiales, although a sentence under two years could be commuted to damages if there are no prior convictions. Protesters gathered in Madrid to show their support for Jennifer Hermoso and spe...

A thrilling night of football saw 18 teams battle it out in the final group matchday of the competition’s new format. With a stacked goal tally, the night concluded with the traditional powerhouses remaining undefeated. Liverpool and Barcelona shone as the only teams assured of a spot in the top eight, progressing directly to the round of 16. Despite Liverpool’s 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven and Barca’s 2-2 draw with Atalanta, they maintained their first and second rankings, respectively. Joining them in the next round are Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, and Lille. Lille, in particular, delivered the performance of the night, thrashing Feyenoord 6-1. Manchester City, the 2023 European champions, faced a challenging first half at the Etihad. However, they bounced back in the second half, with goals from Mateo Kovacic, Joel Ordonez (own goal), and Savinho securing their progression. PSG, starting in 22nd place, swiftly rose to the occasion, racing to...

Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwait, Ngo Toan Thang, met with the leaders of City Center supermarket chain on February 4. City Center is one of the leading supermarket chains in Kuwait and aims to access goods from Vietnam. The Ambassador was welcomed by Adel Y. Al-Ghanim, chairman of Alghanim Sons, the parent group, and Jasim Y. Al-Ghanim, CEO of City Center supermarket chain. Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwait Ngo Toan Thang looks at City Center’s products. Source: World & Vietnam newspaper The City Center supermarket chain was established in 1999 and has a system of hypermarkets, supermarkets, and convenience stores. The largest store covers over 20,000 sqm and City Center currently owns 16 large supermarkets in Kuwait. They are also expanding their influence into the Iraqi market, establishing a strategic presence in the country. During the meeting, the diplomat visited City Center and listened to Adel and Jasim Y. Al-Ghanim share information about the commodity system a...

The highlight of the flower street is a pair of dragon sculptures spanning over 100 meters in honor of the upcoming Year of the Dragon, about a week away. They are the largest-ever zodiac animal mascots to be displayed at the annual event. Construction and decoration of the flower street, themed ‘Spring of Love, Tet Reunion’ this year, began on January 21. The pair of winding dragon mascots and another dragon mascot on the flower street have amazed locals and tourists. Many Tet-themed decorations adorn the flower street. The mascots are made of steel and environmentally-friendly materials, such as bamboo and rattan. The construction time and costs for the mascots increased by five times over previous years when the mascots were made of steel and foam. Three dragon sculptures funded by Viet Dragon Golden Apricot Corporation will be transferred to enterprises or individuals after the flower street is closed at 9:00 pm on February 14. The money collected from the transf...

The Tran Thi Ly Bridge and the Dao Xanh villa area in Hai Chau District, Da Nang, offer a prime vantage point from which to witness the gathering of storks. Some storks wade in the shallow water, while others perch on nearby trees or flutter from branch to branch. A gathering of storks perched along a mound in the Han River in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, on February 2, 2024. Photo: Doan Cuong / Tuoi Tre Le Huu Hung, a resident of Hai Chau District, noticed the regular presence of storks in the area as he often exercises there. “It’s quite remarkable. Amidst the bustling city streets, there are hundreds of storks calmly searching for food, perching on tree branches,” remarked Hung. “It feels as tranquil as the countryside.” A gathering of storks perched along a mound in the Han River in Da Nang City, central Vietnam, on February 2, 2024. Photo: Doan Cuong / Tuoi Tre Local residents have observed that the area where the storks gather is abundant in natural v...

Various night tours will be launched in the near future, as well as new and attractive tourism products to attract tourists, especially international travelers, according to the Hanoi Department of Tourism,  Visitors to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2023 at the pedestrian zone around Hoan Kiem Lake. Photo: Khanh Huy The information was released at a conference reviewing tourism in Hanoi in 2022 held by the municipal Department of Tourism on January 5 . Accordingly, since Vietnam opened its doors to inbound tourism on March 15 until December 31, 2022, Hanoi has welcomed 1.5 million international visitors. This year, Hanoi’s tourism sector has targeted welcoming three million international visitors, of which 2.1 million will be overnight guests, twice as many as in 2022. Le Hong Thai, director of Hanoitourist Travel Company, said that Hanoi tourism needs drastic changes soon to quickly recover and develop sustainably. “Unique and attractive tourism products need t...

The ASEAN Tourism Awards 2023 ceremony was held on February 5 in Indonesia as part of the ongoing ASEAN Tourism Forum 2023 under the theme “ASEAN: A Journey to Wonderful Destinations”. A foreign traveler enjoys buying fruits in Cai Be Floating Market. Photo: Mekong Smiles As a result, two groups of host families, one in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long and the other in the northwestern province of Lao Cai, received the ASEAN Homestay Award. The first group consists of six establishments: Ut Thuy, Sau Thanh, Nam Thanh, Nam Thanh, Ba Linh, Ngoc Phuong, and Ngoc Sang, in An Binh District, Vinh Long Province, about 140 km from Ho Chi Minh City. The locality is famous for its islets of fruit orchards. The most prominent tourist attractions are the Cai Be Floating Market, the Vinh Long Brick and Ceramic Kingdom, and the stunning waterways, wild islets, and hidden homestays. The second group features five homestays in the villages of Hon, Muong Kem, Na Khuong, and Tha...

Located beside the busy VinHomes Smart City urban area, west of Hanoi, Phu Thu Village in Tay Mo Ward, Nam Tu Liem District appears to be immune to urbanization. Duong Thi Thu Huong, a villager of Phu Thu Village in Tay Mo Ward, Nam Tu Liem District of Hanoi introduces her family’s products. Photo: Tri Thuc Tre In the village, there are still peaceful tiny alleys and weathered old houses that are kept intact as treasures. Above all, no matter how life has changed, the people here are still passionate about their traditional handicraft of metalworking. For them, the hammer sounds are not only standing for the sustainability of their livelihood but also the rhythm of life and echoes from the past. Tay Mo used to be a purely agricultural ward with over 300 hectares of arable land, of which only about 10% still remains, due to a series of urbanization projects, particularly the construction of Thang Long Avenue. As a result, many households in Phu Thu Village decided t...

Legend has it that in the time of Hai Ba Trung (Trung sisters), female general Le Chan asked her soldiers to make clay firecrackers in order to create loud explosions to threaten foreign invaders. Since then, clay firecracker have become a traditional game at festivals. Firecrackers are produced using clay. Each clay firecracker weighs between 30kg and 80kg. The festival draws the participation of seven teams, including 210 firecracker makers from seven communes such as Tan Huong, Tan Quang, and Nghia An of Ninh Giang district, as well as Minh Duc, Dai Hop, and Quang Khai of Tu Ky district, and Duc Xuong of Gia Loc district. Firecracker makers must be in good health and have experience in clay firecracker contests. Clay firecrackers are a traditional folk game in the northern region that involves hurling clay crackers to create noise. It is done to pray for good harvests and no natural disasters in the year ahead. It is bel...